The Grove, Hammersmith, W6

Dating from the late 19th century, this was originally the Tabard Hotel. Unchanged since the previous review, the interior has nothing pubby remaining apart from a very attractive mahogany mirrored bar back with clock, the front featuring bar stool revetments to stop anyone getting too close to the masked staff. The bare boarded interior now has magnolia walls with trendy prints of fruit and an open kitchen to the rear. Furniture is what you’re more likely to encounter in a restaurant, which is in effect what this now is; around half the tables were laid with cutlery and napkins; drinking tables were anointed with chunky candles. Indeed, the interior is well displayed on the pub’s website gallery, boasting a plethora of celebrities who have apparently feasted here, including Adrian Chiles, no less. Customers were about as thin as its possible to get, with just two wine drinkers. The one thing that was really cheap and tatty was the soundtrack; normally you’d know what to expect, but in this instance, it was provided by some talk/music radio station, such as Heart FM; do I really want to sit in a pub listening to the banal interjections of a radio DJ; ‘Not ‘arf, pop pickers!’ anyone? Ales amounted to two pumps dispensing Doom, one with the safety catch on. I opted for a Blue Moon Wheat Beer at £3.10 a half, which to my horror, arrived with a lump of orange in it. This place comes across as being a bit tragic; when exactly does it get going? The Dartmouth Castle down the road was rattling to the rafters and sells drinkable real ale, so I know where I’ll come in future.

There are two handpumps on the bar counter - one had a clip reversed for their house beer "Grove", brewed by Long Man, and the other London Pride clipped. A half of Pride cost £2.35, and my 5p change came on a little silver dish with the receipt. But the half pint glass was lined, and the barman took the trouble to top it up to the line, and rinse the side of the glass to wash off the overspill. All a delightful piece of theatre, but sadly negated somewhat by the fact that the beer was rank and undrinkable. But it was readily exchanged for a half of keg Young's London Stout. This is clearly a food-led pub, and although I didn't see a full menu, some people sitting at the next table were tucking into some substantial nosh. A chalkboard behind the servery advertised bar snacks, including sandwiches - steak (£9), BLT (£6.50), and chicken and bacon (£7.50). There's a function room upstairs, and I saw free wi-fi advertised. There's nothing traditional about the inside of this pub now. The overriding colour scheme is green, appropriately so for somewhere called The Grove. The ratio of tables laid for diners to those available to drinkers seems to be roughly 50-50. The latter includes some tall tables/tall stools, and a few normal tables and chairs. It's interesting that the only people eating were sitting in the drinking area; I wonder if that's because they prefer to eat in a pub rather than in a restaurant? But I can't say that I blame them, as I tend to do the same myself. There's little in the way of decor worth mentioning. There are some most unusual large green and yellow prints of citrus fruits, and at least three displays of decorative twigs - decorative branches really as a couple of them were eight to ten feet tall! Quite bizarre really. There's some bench seating outside at the front. This place is not much like a pub, but if you can bag one of the normal tables in the drinking area I guess it's OK. I would have liked it more had they had a real ale on (that was drinkable), even if overpriced at gastropub levels. Maybe I was just unlucky.

Nice street corner pub and the first one i visited when i came to London 40 years ago.Gastro led pub but 3 real ales usually from regional breweries but in good condition when i have visited.Bright clean pub with an outside seating area.Nice to see it still survives.